Background and purpose: Death-associated protein kinase-1(DAPK) is a pro-apoptosis protein,and plays a important role in oncogenesis and development.This study is to investigate the expression of mRNA of DAPK1 and its association with apoptosis in papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC).Methods:The expression of DAPK1 mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization in 45 cases of PTC and 45 cases of normal thyroid tissues next to tumors that consist of three part of tissue: normal thyroid tissue,nodular goiter and follicular adenoma.The apoptosis in corresponding issues was tested by TUNEL assay and the apoptosis index(AI) was evaluated.Results:The positive rate of DAPK1mRNA in PTC and para-PTC tissues were 37.78% and 71.11%,respectively.The positive rate of DAPK1 mRNA in counterpart thyroid issues was higher than that in tumor tissues(P0.05).Conclusions:As an apoptosis promoter,DAPK1 may function as an inhibitor of tumor,and low expression or loss DAPK1 gene may be involved in the oncogenesis of PTC.The detection of the expression of DAPK1 may be helpful for judging metastasis and prognosis of PTC.

Objective:To assess the practical value of visual scores of magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)features in the diagnosis and classification of dementia with Lewy bodies(DLB).Methods:In this study, 102 DLB patients were prospectively recruited, with 102 cognitively normal elderly people as the normal control group(NC).All included subjects underwent MRI examinations and neuropsychological assessments.Based on the clinical dementia rating(CDR)scale, DLB patients were divided into a mild(CDR=1.0), a moderate(CDR=2.0)and a severe(CDR=3.0)group.The results of MRI were scored visually and the rating scales included medial temporal lobe atrophy(MTA), global cortical atrophy-frontal subscale(GCA-F), posterior cortical atrophy(PCA), white matter lesions(the Fazekas scale), cerebral microbleeds(CMBs), and the Evans Index(EI).Statistical differences were compared between the DLB and NC groups and between DLB patients with different degrees of cognitive impairment.Results:In terms of neuropsychology, the Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE) score of the DLB group[16.0(11.0, 21.0)]was statistically significantly lower than that of the NC group[29.0(28.0, 30.0)]( Z=-12.31, P<0.001), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA)score of the DLB group[9.5(6.0, 15.0)]was statistically significantly lower than that of the NC group[28.0(27.0, 29.0)]( Z=-12.40, P<0.001), and the Activities of Daily Living(ADL)score of the DLB group[32.0(23.8, 40.0)]was statistically significantly higher than that of the NC group[20.0(20.0, 20.0)]( Z=-11.98, P<0.001).The scores of all MRI visual assessment scales in DLB patients were statistically significantly higher than those in the NC group( P<0.001).There were significant differences in MTA scores between DLB patients with different degrees of cognitive impairment( P0<0.001).The MTA score of the mild group[1.0(1.0, 1.0)]was statistically significantly lower than that of the moderate group[2.0(1.0, 2.0)]( P1<0.001, P2<0.001); The MTA score of the moderate group[2.0(1.0, 2.0)]was statistically significantly lower than that of the severe group[2.0(2.0, 3.0)]( P1=0.003, P2=0.010). Conclusions:This study has for the first time after comprehensively evaluated the value of various visual scores in DLB diagnosis, MTA can be used to help diagnose DLB and distinguish the severity of DLB, providing a new supplemental tool for clinical diagnosis.